The present invention relates to a paper feed cassette for sheets used in an image recording apparatus such as a copier, facsimile, printer, or the like.
A plurality of papers used in the image recording apparatus is loaded in a paper feed cassette which is usually made to match a specific paper size. The paper feed cassette is mounted on the recording apparatus, and the paper is automatically pulled out sheet by sheet from the cassette by a paper feed means such as paper feed rollers and the like provided in the image recording apparatus.
Generally, in a recording apparatus which can record on papers of different sizes, a plurality of paper feed cassettes, each being used for one paper size, is mounted on the side or the front of the apparatus main body so that papers can be fed selectively. However, the recording apparatus in which papers with multiple sizes are fed requires a plurality of paper feeds and, thus, the apparatus becomes complicated and its cost is increased. Furthermore, its overall height is increased, resulting in large size.
In order to avoid these problems, there has been used a recording apparatus in which a universal paper feed cassette is detachably provided to a paper feed device in the apparatus main body. The universal paper feed cassette is a cassette in which a position regulation member can be set in various positions so that papers with different sizes can be loaded in the cassette.
The above-described universal paper feed cassette has a casing which can accept the paper of the largest size, and it is provided with a position regulation member with which the papers with different sizes can be positioned, and therefore, the casing becomes large in size. For this reason, a portion of the paper feed cassette protrudes from the side or front of the main body of the recording apparatus when the universal paper feed cassette is mounted on the apparatus, resulting in the used for a large installation space and creating an obstruction in operation. Furthermore, when using small or medium-sized papers (for example, A4 size, B5 size, or the like) which are frequently used in such apparatus, it is undesirable for the large-sized universal paper feed cassette to protrude from the apparatus. Especially, when the paper feed cassette protrudes to a great extent from the front of the apparatus, it causes not only the obstruction in the operation, but also the risk of damage to the cassette caused by an impact. When the paper feed cassette is covered by enlarged enclosures of the recording apparatus in order to reduce the amount of protrusion of the paper feed cassette, the recording apparatus has a disadvantage of a large size.